2 Corinthians, 6:1-10
Bob Eckel · Nov 28, 2004
2 Corinthians (2004-05), No. 22
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4826231655949

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

All right. I was pleased last week to find out we had two weeks. That's just my absent-minded professorship, not being able to see that there were two weeks assigned to this task instead of one. I call it Mr. Magoo. Mr. Magoo. OK. I'll let you conclude what you want about that. All right.

Actually, before we get into where we left off, let's read the text again. So we're in 2 Corinthians chapter 6. And we're looking at the first 10 verses just to kind of project what's ahead for us. Next week, Hal begins a series of three weeks on 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 10. So we're going to spend three weeks, or Hal's going to spend three weeks on one verse. I can't wait to get back to get the first tape on this next week. Well, today we're in 6, 1 through 10, but next week Hal is going to be in chapter 5, verse 10 for three consecutive weeks. Fortunately, that will not be a precedent for things to follow. The Second Corinthians will be in three decades from now as we're all here in wheelchairs. Chapter 6, 1-10.

Jack, are you up for us to read that this morning, please? We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in the time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.

Giving no offense in anything that the ministry be not blamed, but in all things commending ourselves as the ministers of God in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in strikes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in tabors, in watching, in fasting, by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by the love unsinged, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report, as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet well-known, as dying and behold we live, as chastened and not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor but making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things. Thank you, Jack. You know, is it any coincidence that this follows 2 Corinthians 5, 20, and 21? Let me read that for you.

Now, then we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God did beseech you by us, we beg you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. Verse 21, one of those, if not penultimate, ultimate verses of Scripture. For he hath made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

In effect, I think what we're seeing in chapter 6 is really the playing out of this truth in more detail in terms of the ministry. The ministry in the Schofield Bible that I have, the King James, has in parenthesis or as a subscript the supernatural ministry. And the title of this is His Life in Ministry is Supernatural. And this is not a work of the effort or the flesh, but actually a true exemplification of the identification played out in our lives.

So last week I think we finished verse 5. We're beginning to look at these lists of things commending ourselves as the ministers of God, verse 4. Last week we looked at patience and afflictions and necessities and distresses and stripes and Imprisonments and tumults and labors and watchings and fastings and remember we concluded on the fact that we didn't think the fast was a Purposeful fast to become quote more spiritual unquote Okay, so let's start then today in verse 6 in purity. This is the inner linear Greek in purity and knowledge and long-suffering and kindness and spirit a holy in love unfeigned pure pureness you think about when you think about being pure all right Isn't that how they kind of refer to it?

In science, one of the tasks when somebody identifies a new protein in science, the ultimate goal of science and medicine is to understand how a protein works, to understand how it folds and configures in three-dimensional structure. So ultimately, the goal for protein chemists are to purify or crystallize the protein.

And to crystallize something requires perfect purity. There can be no contaminant, any micronutrient, any micromolecule, any contaminant at all will not allow a protein to crystallize. So my labs worked with a particular protein for over 25 years now. We've never gotten it to the stage of being able to crystallize it, nor has anybody else in the world. So the protein I work with, we still don't understand the three-dimensional structure of this protein in terms of how it ultimately functions to catalyze the reactions that it catalyzes.

Anyway, not contaminated is pureness. So what do we think about as we think about as we walk as ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ in pureness? Have you thought of yourselves as pure lately? That's a term that we don't really use very much, is it, in our day-to-day language, pure.

And why not, or why? Maybe we should be encouraged more to think in terms of this. Other thoughts about this? There you go, okay. Next week I want to see all crystallized. Actually, don't take this incorrectly now, I see some three-dimensional structure here right now. But I don't think it's the hagnotes or hagnos in the Greek, which means not contaminated.

And you know, what else can we say about that other than That's supernatural, isn't it? Not contaminated? What were you thinking about five minutes ago? Was there any kind of self-centeredness about that at all? I mean, the issue is that this is not of the earthly existence, right?

This is a ministry that really is perfectly crystallized so we can see every aspect of who we are in Christ. I mean, if we're walking by faith, and we're inviting Christ, and his life is being lived through us, this is his very life that's being lived through us. And if we're walking in the Spirit, and we see sin, and we need work, this is what's being meant for us. This is what should be meant for us.

I mean, we cannot depend on his life. There's a verse that comes to mind, let me see if I can't find it. Bear with me a second, I had not thought about bringing this up here this morning. Mark 7, 15. You don't have to turn there, let me just do it myself.

I love this. You know, the issue of how much of this contamination really is us being contaminated in the flesh versus the influence of a toxic environment. When I say a toxic environment, I'm talking about the world system, the cosmos in which we live. And I love Mark 15.

There is nothing from outside of a man that entering into him can defile him. But the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. So this aspect of contamination or lack of pureness is not, in fact, the world system around us, although we can blame it all we want, right? I mean, all the temptations of the world system is not what we're talking about here. We're talking about what defiles each and every one of us is our own selves. And so, therefore, this pureness must be of another source, mustn't it?

Okay, let's go on. Knowledge here is the... I guess I didn't ask you the question, how are you doing here? With pureness. Is anyone ready to be crystallized under the right salt conditions here this evening? Okay. Knowledge is Gnosis, which is really that kind of beyond head knowledge, which is kind of knowing location, time, place. This is seeking to know, and this is especially applied to spiritual truth.

And I turn to Colossians 1, 9, and 10 as just exemplary of many other passages in Pauline epistles and beyond. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to desire that you might be filled with knowledge. And the knowledge is of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." Used twice there. This is Gnosis played out in the form of a noun in Colossians 1, 9, 10.

But there are multiple, multiple examples of the knowledge that we have really is a knowledge that is seeking. It's really a desire to know more and it's often pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ. So this knowledge that Paul refers to here by pureness, by knowledge, is that knowledge of the One in whom, in fact, our life is sourced. Long-suffering. Yes?

It's interesting to think that, I mean, like you're talking about the lab, the first thing you do in the lab is to make sure everything's sterile and everything, and here God leads us in this corrupt world, and then partially because of this jolt that we can't You know, if you think about this supernatural ministry, pureness kind of is on a pedestal, isn't it? But knowledge seems like it's lesser in some way. Because is the knowledge really kind of our getting involved in this act?

I don't look at pureness as us getting involved at all, it's by faith. Right? How are you doing at pureness? I mean, I think we're not doing very well because often we view it from our own strength and our own perspective, whereas pureness is really a cloak that we wear that's been given to us by the Heavenly Father.

Knowledge we think, gee, I need to get going to know more about Him. Wrong again. This is as much an aspect of the supernatural ministry. And isn't it neat, and the Holy Spirit's actually listed among this list, we're going to get there in a second, but the Holy Spirit is, his business is engaging us to be more curious and more insightful and more knowledgeable about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Isn't that true why when you're ministering to someone, unless the Holy Spirit is involved, you can respond to them with a gloomy face? And you can have all this knowledge and be expressing all this knowledge, but it's nothing. It means nothing to that person unless the Holy Spirit is engaged and part of the process. And what he does, he takes us out of there. We're simply a vehicle, aren't we? And, you know, the Holy Spirit works in a confident and yet peaceful manner to ultimately accomplish the truth. The Holy Spirit is not suffering from pressure, right? It's a whole different means of operating. Let's go on.

Righteousness and trueness are one and the same. If you've been declared righteous by God himself, that means Yeah, I think of those a little differently, but you're probably correct in that, Jack. There's some kind of a connection there. We've been declared righteous, right? And appointed righteous. But does everybody think righteousness and pureness are the same term in terms of your understanding of that? Well, not really the same, but there is a connection there. Well, but that doesn't. Yeah, that's true. What's that old song? Can't have one without the. Never mind. Yeah. Love and marriage. That's what that's what it is. This is this is great.

Anyone like to sing? Wayne, how about you? But all the righteousness and pureness are all wrapped up. Actually, if we go down this list, it's hard to kind of dismiss some of these as being less worthy, right? Because they're really all representative of identification. Okay, long-suffering.

First Corinthians 13.4. Charity suffers long and is kind. You know, I think that that long-suffering is a topic again that we could just dwell on forever here this morning, but the fact that love is really not in a position of doing anything but being long-suffering really reflects again on the fact that this is a supernatural attribute that all of us have.

Again, we've been granted this, we're really placed in this, and now it's a matter of having this worked out in our lives by our continued belief and faith that this was really his job and his ability to work in us. Kindness simply defined as goodness of heart.

I've raised this a lot of times from this position here in the class, but you know the world sometimes is better at this than we are, aren't they? And I think sometimes we are overly conclusive in looking at the act itself rather than the source. But kindness really here is as equally supernatural as purity or pureness.

Yeah, but you know what? It just hit me. The world can be kind. That's my point. As politically correct in the term of kind. But kindness is only one of these attributes that, you know, I mean, you don't see the world having many of these other attributes. Kindness is something that kind of you can put on. But I don't think this love I'm saying can be put on. All right.

So what Margaret's pointing out is that the company it keeps really reflects on the source. I mean, am I paraphrasing that correctly? I think because kindness, you know, some people in the world think being politically correct is kindness. Not saying things like it really is, you know. Let's go along with gay marriage because that is, or, you know, that is politically correct. That's a kind thing to do.

But all of these other things. are much more difficult to put on. Other thoughts about kindness? What's that look like? It's superficial, correct, from the world's perspective, but how do we know that as believers? I mean, in a sense, what follows is one way we know this, right? The Holy Spirit, I think, is capable of accomplishing our understanding about what true kindness is all about, right? And keep in mind, we're all capable of kindness in a superficial manner.

But the true kindness is that that the Lord Jesus exemplified during his walk, is it not? I mean, you see many, many examples of this, but the world would focus on Jesus as a great prophet and teacher and example. But we're talking about a life here. And a life is not simply an attribute. A life is all of the above. So again, the company kindness keeps, I think, reflects on its true source.

Something came across my desk the other day that a pastor at some church was talking about that the reason that we should accept homosexual marriage is because if Christ were alive because he was so kind and loving that he would accept that. And, but they totally disregard the rest of what scripture says about marriage and about a man with a man and a woman with a woman. I mean, it's like, you know, they disregard all the other aspects of Christ. Margaret's big on homosexual marriage here this morning, isn't she?

No, your point's well-rounded. No, I'm just saying that when you were saying that this is an attribute of Christ, people want to pick and choose the attributes they want of Christ. Well, it's perfect if you're making like, you know, what would Jesus be? Yeah, that's right, Marilyn, that's right. Okay, let's go ahead.

The Holy Spirit, again, exemplified so many places and so much a part of the truth of our Christianity is I just picked one verse. Keep in mind, what we're doing here is going through this list, and I don't know how else to really discuss this with you other than going down the list with you. The contrasts we're going to follow in a few minutes are a lot more fun, in a sense. I mean, not that this isn't wonderful, it's just that the contrasts really are interesting to look at in terms of putting them into perspective.

But this list are things you all know so well, but I just thought 1 Thessalonians 1.5, for our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in the Holy Ghost. in much assurance also, as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. So it's the Holy Spirit that really brings the gospel about.

And I think I can say fairly safely that the Holy Spirit is probably the least understood of the triune God. Is he not? How he works, what his purpose is, how he accomplishes the task of conforming us to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. I mean the Holy Spirit really is worthy of our attention, to know how he works and what his ultimate and infinite powers are within the life of a believer. Love unfeigned, I love this, without dissimulation, an interesting term. How often do you use that in your day-to-day language? Dissimulation, which effectively means hypocrisy. Love unfeigned is without hypocrisy. So think about Hypocritical love.

Give me examples of that. What might that look like? Something conditional and dependent on the result, right? we learn in marriage, you know, it's this aspect of what true love is really all about. I mean, we get a glimpse of this in marriage, isn't it, in terms of day-to-day living with your spouse, in terms of the earthly strengths and weaknesses. I mean, but that's not the issue. The issue is love and fame, no hypocrisy, unconditional, kind of no matter what, you know, the Lord Jesus Christ is capable in that circumstance of making his presence known.

So 1 Peter 1.22, seeing ye have purified your souls and obeying the truth through the Spirit, and notice the Spirit maybe relating back to the Holy Spirit that we just discussed, unto unfeigned love of the brethren. That means, you know, not a hypocritical love, but one that is of the Lord Jesus Christ, unconditional.

Ye love the brethren. See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently. I mean, in a sense, the verse itself is wrapped up in itself in terms of unfeigned love means living loving with a pure heart fervently. Fervently is not, you know, a weak or subtle attempt. It's kind of a love that really extends itself at the utmost degree.

You know, as we think of all these attributes of the supernatural ministry and life that the Lord Jesus Christ has given us, let's go to, just for a moment, to Colossians 3. Let's turn to that now. Colossians 3, 12 through 17. I think you'll see a lot of this repeated. But these aspects of the ministry and of the life that Paul gives us in 2 Corinthians is redundant with what he says elsewhere in Scripture. This is not the only place that we see this really taught and brought to our attention.

So in verse 12 in chapter 3, it says, "...put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another, in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." And verse 17, and whatever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.

So, just an example of another area of Scripture where this is maybe a few additional things here, a few things that were omitted from the second Corinthians passage, but this is a life. This isn't a goal. This is a life. And that life is given to each one of us that by faith we might walk in these truths. Moving right along, verse 7. Alright, now we go on for some other aspects of this. In a word of truth and power of God through the weapons of righteousness on the right and on the left.

The word of truth is, you know, here listed as an example by James 1.18, of his own will begat he us with the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

You know, if you think about all of the elements that bring us to salvation and sustain us, isn't truth really kind of the main deal? I got saved by truth in terms of who I was and where am I going and all these issues and ultimately this became apparent to me that this was really true, this really told me who I was and I needed some grace, a lot of it. Isn't the truth of the word that really is the foundation of our faith? Sure, the Lord Jesus Christ is essential and the major source of all that truth, but nevertheless it's the truth that ultimately is the foundation, I think, for the Christian walk.

Mormons have their walk, right? The Jehovah's Witnesses and the Muslims, I mean, they claim truth, don't they, for their own faith? But what allows us to claim the Word of God and say that that's the truth compared to the other faiths? What do you think? The resurrection. Okay, and what about the resurrection? So what's the problem with all these other faiths then? The source of the truth. The word of truth here is logos, so the source could be the written word, or ultimately the Lord Jesus Christ himself. But the resurrection, what's so important about the resurrection in terms of the way we view that as truth? It proves what God has said. It happened. It had been prophesied for generations, and it actually happened, and it was witnessed. Okay, I think that you hit on something important. God's Word is true.

His prophecy was correct. But in addition, there's nothing in history that's probably better exemplified in historical documents than the resurrection. And the Bible itself provides plenty of evidence, right? So we're looking at something that's just not a figment of our imagination. We're looking at an event that was prophesied and was found true.

So that's just One aspect of the truth, I don't know, but if you come at the Word of God realizing who you are without God, ultimately the truth plays out in so many different ways in terms of our relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith. So anyway, we could spend a whole day on the Word of Truth. Let's go on to the next one, the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2, 4, and 5, again, I'm just providing glimpses of other texts that support these, and my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom. but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand on the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."

And that power is supernatural, is it not? The ability to accept the truth and have it really be manifested in our life is really a powerful thing to have occur. Because this isn't a head knowledge, this is a life. And that life is really the Holy Spirit working out the truth, the word of truth in our lives. Weapons of righteousness. Just because of time, I think we'll not look at the entire Ephesians 6, 11 through 20 passage, but you all know it well. We got lots of armor here as weapons against this toxic environment in which we live.

My thought here is the offensive on the right and the defensive on the left. Righteousness of the right hand of the left. What are your thoughts about right and left? I mean, the Ephesians passage, by the way, doesn't really give the defensive aspect on the left and the offensive on the right. I mean, historically, right and left have different kind of meanings.

Thoughts about that? Anybody want to make a comment on that? Does anybody know right and left in terms of the differences between the two? Well, left was always sinister, wasn't it? I mean, looked at as maybe, you know, wrong. Right and wrong. Yeah, we're back in Judges or someplace in the Old Testament. I think even in the Psalms you see references that the left is being, you know, sinister or maybe sinful. But this text, you know, says both. right and left.

That's a good thought. Maybe in a sense it's setting up the stage to follow in terms of this positive, negative, or contrasting sets of examples that follow. That's a good point, Marilyn. I never considered it in that manner, but that's good, because in a sense that leads us right into those contrasts, and I think that's very good. I think that's likely correct.

So now we're entering into these contrasts, and it begins in verse 8. through glory and dishonor, through ill report and good report, as deceivers and true men. Nine altogether, these apparent contrasts. And let's go back to 1 Corinthians 4 for a second, just to give you an idea that this is not unique to this part of Scripture. Verse 10, you're fools for Christ's sake, but you're wise in Christ.

Wow, what's that mean? We're weak, but we're strong. Honorable, but despised. Even under this present hour, we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling place and labor working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless. Being persecuted, we endure. Being defamed, we entreat. and were made as the filth of the world and are the offscouring scouring of all things unto this day.

So, you know, in many ways this section also gives you these contrasts between one position and another. So let's look at these a little more closely now. Glory and dishonor. First of all, what do you think about this whole issue of looking at more extremes in terms of the comparison of things like glory and dishonor? The feeling for why Paul does this? It's certainly going to play out in terms of some of these comparisons. Other thoughts? Right. So this is experiential, and I think in all of these contrasts that we're going to be talking about in the next 10 minutes, we're going to see how reality testing this really is. Okay, let's go ahead then. glory and honor.

Romans 9.21, hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor. So here we see these two contrasted in terms of God himself, in terms of his capacity to oversee the development out of the same clay, one vessel of honor and one of dishonor. I don't want to get into this verse and overly interpret it here, but I'm just showing you the contrast is not unique here.

This honor and dishonor is possibly relevant to Romans 9.21.

Second Timothy 2.20, but in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Again, the contrast is what I'm trying to point out here.

Okay, let's go ahead. I'm confused though, because that passage in Romans and Timothy almost makes you think of a believer and an unbeliever, but I get the impression that You're jumping ahead to the end here. I'm just at this point trying to exemplify contrasts like here in Scripture and then we're going to come to some conclusion at the end of the morning.

Okay, so bear with me. We've got nine of these to go through before we conclude, so bear with me. Okay, ill and good report. By evil report and good report. There's the Greek there. This is a play on the words with the prefixes. The ill report, interestingly enough, is the only time this is used in the New Testament. So, I mean, what do you think that means?

Ill report and good report. I mean, just think out loud here. When it says, through glory and honor, through ill report and good report, as deceivers and true men, Well, are we always well thought of? Perhaps not, and maybe ill report is a good thing if it's in the right situation.

I mean, keep in mind that the cross offends. We want to make sure that we're not the offenders. That's always the issue. Who's offending here? Is it Bob, or is it Jack, or Winnie, or is it the cross? And boy, that's something that the Holy Spirit really, I think, has to teach us about as we walk each and every day down the paths of life here. Yeah, I think that's correct. Let's see, that's page 11. We just came from there. Yeah, okay.

So, 1 Peter 4.14 says, If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

On their part, he is evil spoken of, but on your part, he is glorified. So I think that really nicely deals with this ill report, a good report, right? How often have you been, you know, spoken of, evil's maybe not the right adjective, but, you know, basically you're kind of unaccepted by the world around you. but yet he is glorified, even though you may in fact be evil spoken of. Deceivers and true men. Paul is expressly described by his adversaries as disseminating deceit. And again, this is another late word that kind of comes from the term meaning wandering vagabond, imposter, or to lead astray. But such slanders coming from one's enemies is really praise, is it not? So we may be a deceiver, but in fact the deceit is actually seen through the eyes of the world.

And I think John 7.12 says this nicely, and there was much murmuring among the people concerning him. For some said he's a good man, and others said no, he deceives the people. So in a sense, this idea of pulling the world towards the gospel, towards the cross, is ultimately making you look like a deceiver. Because you're representing a truth, a body of truth and wisdom that in fact is not of the world. So you in fact look like a deceiver to the fellow men in fact that you're connected to in your day-to-day walk.

Or weak. I think intellectual Christians are weak. Right. They depend on someone. There's been so much criticism after the election of that very thing. Those Christians are just stupid and they don't want to... You know, I think something that really adds nicely to this in terms of the interpretation is John 7, 18.

It says, he that speaks of himself seeks his own glory. But he that seeks his glory that sent him, the same is true and no unrighteousness is in him. Who's being deceived here? It's the world that's being deceived, not the individual being the deceiver. And again, it relates to from whence does the glory arise? From oneself or from the Lord Jesus Christ?

Verse 9, as being unknown and well-known is dying and behold we live as being chastened and not being put to death. Comparing the unknown to the well-known, Unknown is really as being ignored. It can be a non-entity, obscure, no credentials, basically meaningless in terms of the recognition by our fellow man.

Acts 17-18, then certain philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoics encountered him, meaning Paul, and some said, what will this babbler say? Others, he seems to be a setter forth of strange gods because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection. Well, in a sense he's called a babbler, so kind of a non-entity. What kind of credentials does he have? But then it says that he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection. I mean, how's that for a contrast? Here's this, who is this guy?

And yet he brings the truth of the word of God. Boy, and he ultimately becomes known of that position, doesn't he? I mean, Paul ultimately becomes identified with preaching something that, what right does he have to say these things to us? But yet, you know, he's really an unknown but now well-known. What a contrast, but yet what a beautiful example, I think, of this played out in a life.

Second Corinthians 5.11, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men but we are made manifest unto God, and I trust also all are made manifest in your consciences. So, we persuade men in that they need to be persuaded, but yet, in God's eyes, He's ultimately being made known to each one of us as we go about that task. Again, keep in mind we're talking about a supernatural life in ministry here. We're not talking about working in our own strength and power.

Dying and living. Love this, 2 Corinthians 4, 10, 11. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in her body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake. that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

Amen? Wow. Talk about life and death. Each and every day, each and every hour, how about minute, this dying and living is really the Christian walk, isn't it? And that's a supernatural ministry and life in each one of us. Chastened and not put to death. Many examples here. I picked three psalms. The Lord hath chastened me sore, but he hath not given me over to death. David being schooled by the Lord in all his trials and tribulations.

First Corinthians 11.32, But when we are judged, we are chastened to the Lord, that we should not be condemned unto the world, or with the world. And that potentially could be condemnation unto death.

And finally Hebrews 12, And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as children, My son despised not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loves, he chastens. and scourges every son whom he receives. If ye endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the Father chastens not?"

And that chastening is not with a dead man, right? We're all still alive as we're being chastened on a day-to-day basis. Okay, and then in verse 10, as being grieved always, but rejoicing, as poor many but enriching, as nothing having and all things possessing." This contrast of grieving but rejoicing, isn't that the Christian life? Who else would rejoice in grief except someone founded in the truth?

Romans 5.3, and not only so but we glory in tribulations, Romans says. Is that you or is that something It's a different source. It has to be a different source. The old man is never going to glorify the tribulation. 2 Corinthians 7, for great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorifying of you.

I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation. We haven't studied that yet, but it speaks for itself, doesn't it? Hebrews 10, 30, 40, for ye had compassion of me and my bonds, he's talking about the brethren now, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.

Sacrificial, again, but yet rejoicing in spoiling their goods joyfully. Boy, again, that's not kind of the human way of doing things. First Peter 4, 13, but rejoice in as much as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy." What are Christ's sufferings that we're partakers of? Are we putting ourselves back in His position here? Okay. So, did anyone suffer have partaken his sufferings yesterday?

I think it is. My home's not here, right? So the fact that he leaves us here is in fact being partakers of his suffering. Now that doesn't hurt very much. It can. But I just think the fact that our home is really in heavenly places, so being on the earth is beginning to experience the part of being separated from our home. However, the Lord has us here.

And the sufferings really can be those that relate to reputation, they can be actually chastenings, they can actually be all the other aspects of the human existence as believers. But we partake of his sufferings on a day-to-day basis. Just think back about 2 Corinthians 4, 10-11 where we talk about dying daily and the whole aspect of dying and living. I mean that's all part of partaking of his sufferings.

Okay, we're almost done here. Poor but rich. That's a good one. Whatever of earthly goods we have, and these are few, we have as though we had not. as tenants removable at will, not owners. Okay? I mean, it's a good way to look at things, right? We're just kind of thing keepers, if you will, for a short time, right? No ownership here. We don't want to get too attached. That in everything you're enriched by him in all utterance and in all knowledge.

These earthly things we have and own really don't have much weight in glory for sure, but it says in 1 Corinthians 1.5 that in everything we're enriched in him.

James 2.5, hearken my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? Wow. Right? Heavenly home promises that relate to not of possessions of this earth, but in fact the possessions of the Lord Jesus Christ. Having nothing but all things seems like another contrast. It doesn't seem to make sense. The Greek implies actually firm possession. This is not kind of, you know, having it for a short time, but this is kind of a sense of permanence.

1 Corinthians 3.21, Therefore let no man glory in men, for all things are yours.

And perhaps even better, 1 Timothy 4.8, For bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

So these contrasts all really, I think, are purposeful in what? How, in context, are these contrasts purposeful? How do you interpret the negative aspect of these contrasts? Negative is mainly what the world sees. That's right. The world sees that we have nothing, whereas we know we have all things. The world looks at chastening as something that's punitive and puts you in a position of dependency and maybe a position of really being unjustly dealt with, but the chastening really is to his glory.

So all these contrasts from the believer's perspective take on a different light. The verses I've tried to provide here are just to exemplify that for you, to give you an idea that these are all contrasts that have meaning. in terms of how the Lord Jesus Christ has us placed to really bring about His glory by our faith. How's that for a contrast, right? So true.

I mean, God's wisdom is foolishness unto men, right? And in a sense, these contrasts are part of that really being played out in our lives. Last week it was interesting, and just in the Hungry Hearts series, this is the text of the day that I thought was really relevant. I pulled a paragraph out of last week's Hungry Hearts series on November the 21st.

Multitudes of believers forgive that, are sick and tired of trying to be good. Paul rests our feet on the right path to goodness. He had learned from experience that goodness is not caught by pursuit, but by association. Not by struggling to obey laws and rules, but by living in the Lord Jesus's presence.

By steadily looking at him, we're changed into his likeness. And that's the supernatural life and ministry that we've been talking about the last couple of weeks. Let's bow in prayer. Father, we're thankful for your word that is so undeniably of you. And this is not man who thought he'd put down some thoughts in scripture and just have us try to work our way into your glory and into your presence, but yet words that are just of a different land, of a different kingdom, and we're thankful that you allow us to enter into this by faith and seeing by our experiences day in and day out that your word plays true. Thankful for this time to facilitate this discussion, and I pray that each one of us would learn by association, not by obeying laws and rules. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.